Voice
The crow’s voice is as complex and amazing as the rest of its behaviour. They have many different calls for many different situations. Dominant birds are usually more vocal, with lower status birds sometimes being almost silent. We have seen this with our own birds who, being disabled, are of a very low status. Bran; a disabled, unreleasable adult that we are currently taking care of, has only been heard to call four or five times in the two years that he has been with us, for instance - and these were alarm calls; when there has been a cat in the garden or when we have carried another crow in his presence.
The main calls are the typical “kraaaaa” usually repeated three times. This call is usually used at dawn or dusk by the territory holder or when there are intruders present. The female of the pair is also makes this call, but it sounds a little different to the male call.
There is also a cat-like mewling call. This may also be used when intruders are present, but has also been heard on other occasions. We have only observed this call when the bird has been on the ground.
Crows also make an excited call when they are flying, especially when they are playing or chasing other crows.
Calls somewhat like singing have also been noted. This is quite a soft call, which includes gurgling sounds and almost musical notes - we see this most in young birds as they find their voice.
Crows have many other calls and sounds in their vocabulary and are said to have different dialects in different parts of the country!
We also should not forget the crow’s capability of mimicing the human voice. This has been documented in many cases, and some have been known to speak entire sentences. One of our permanent residents has learnt his first words already and is always on hand with a cheery “hello!”